Christo’s ‘Over the River’ Installation Pushed Back to 2015

So much for smooth sailing for the “Over the River” art installation in Colorado. But, really, when does a Christo project ever not run into a constant series of hurdles? After all, the artist himself who has repeatedly said, “By discussing the work of art they become part of the work of art. They make it more important.” The latest comes after this past November when the government gave a partial go-ahead for the artist to begin plans to drape large, sweeping panels across 42 miles of the Arkansas River, with stipulations that there were still a bit more paperwork to fill out and more permits to finalize before construction could both begin and end this summer, for an estimated August debut. In a statement issued on the artist’s site, two factors have pushed the project back substantially: first, that some of the reports required before the launch came in later than expecting, thus shrinking the time available for construction by several months. Second, the required Event Management Plans, which in part include details on “traffic, safety and other issues,” will also take longer than expected, which would mean that “the public may not have sufficient time to understand this detailed information before installation begins.” Given that there was an equal amount of those against Christo’s project as there were supporters, it seems like a solid plan not to create new hostilities. That said, “Over the River” has now been pushed by three full years, out into early August of 2015. If you’re a big Christo fan and were expecting swiftness this time, maybe you’d do better finding a new favorite artist, as we’ve entered par-for-the-course territory here.